


Whooping Cough

by LoopyLu94



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-03
Updated: 2017-01-03
Packaged: 2018-09-14 12:19:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9181324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoopyLu94/pseuds/LoopyLu94
Summary: Reader is feeling ill, so takes a trip to Medbay and meets the Doctor of her dreams.





	

You wretched, eyes watering as you coughed so violently you thought you were going to throw up. Your throat burned, and your chest hurt from the strain of trying to breathe properly. With one final heave, you managed to suck in a deep breath and straighten up again, grateful that the coughing fit had passed for now. 

The cough had started a few days ago, when you and the rest of crew had been on shore leave in Yorktown, and at first it hadn’t been that bad, more annoying than anything else. But then it had begun to get worse, and you found yourself having to cough harder and for longer just to be able to clear your lungs and take a deep breath.

Now you were back on the Enterprise and you should have been starting work, but you knew that it would be nearly impossible to complete some of the delicate work that had been assigned to you without either breaking something or contaminating the sensitive samples you had been examining. You pulled out your communicator and informed your supervising officer of your condition, completely expecting it when she advised you to head down to medbay. It was likely that they wouldn’t be able to cure the cough, but it was good to get checked out just in case, and you might be able to get something to ease it a little.

Pocketing your communicator, you had to wait another few minutes for another coughing fit to pass, before you could eventually make it down to medbay. You signed in, and made your way over to a free biobed when a nurse told you to so they could take your basic vitals. Once done, the nurse smiled at you. “I’ll pass these over to Doctor McCoy, and he’ll be with you in a few minutes.” She smiled. You nodded and murmured your thanks, before sitting back and taking in your surroundings. 

You’d only ever been there a few times, just for physicals and vaccinations, so you’d never fully taken the place in. All the machines made your head whirl, the things looked even more complicated than the stuff you worked with in the lab. The thought also occurred to you that you’d never been seen by or even spoken to Doctor McCoy before. All your mandatory stuff had been taken care of by Doctor M’Benga. You’d seen McCoy around though, and heard rumour about how gruff and grumpy he could be, so you grew a little nervous. You didn’t feel well enough to be told off for wasting the CMO of a Starship’s time with a simple cough. It was an irrational thought, you knew, McCoy would never do that, he was a Doctor, but you’d been awake all night coughing so you were more than a little tired and potentially grumpy yourself.

“Lieutenant Y/L/N.” You heard the southern accent, but you didn’t look up to see the person attached to it. Another coughing fit had come over you, and it was all you could do to manage to suck in a breath between coughs. You became aware of a large, warm hand rubbing your back soothingly, and a deep voice murmuring soft encouragements in your ear. After what felt like forever, you were finally able to hack up some of the mucus that was clogging your airway into a tray that seemed to magically appear. As you sat there trying to catch your breath, a cup of water was pressed into your hand. “Sip that for me, darlin’.” You nodded, carefully sipping at the cool water. It dawned on you that you had yet to even look at the man who was helping you. No doubt another nurse, you thought to yourself. They’d come over to check on you or to tell you that Doctor McCoy had been delayed or something, and had stayed to help you through the fit.

So it was safe to say that you completely taken aback when you looked up through still watery eyes, and saw none other than Doctor Leonard H. McCoy standing in front of you wearing a concerned expression. “Feelin’ a bit better, Lieutenant?” The Doctor asked, watching you carefully.

“Yes, sir.” You replied, your voice still a little hoarse. McCoy nodded, his expression becoming more neutral, and he turned to pick up his tricorder. 

“Almost positive I already know what’s wrong with you, but I’m goin’ to give you a scan just in case.” Not bothering to waste your breath and potentially start coughing again by answering something that wasn’t even a question, you just nodded. Instead, you simply watched McCoy as he worked the machine, and taking him in. You had seen him at a distance a few times, but you’d never had a chance to appreciate how extremely handsome he was, tall and broad and you were pretty sure you could get lost in those gorgeous eyes of his. “How were you feelin’ before the cough got like this?” McCoy asked you, and your mind briefly returned to how that voice had sounded so close to your ear. It was a voice that could melt anything. 

You took a sip of water to resist the temptation to lick your lips, before answering. “Not too bad, sir. I had a bit of a cold last week, congestion, sore throat, the basics. That’s when the cough started. Not this bad though.”

McCoy nodded, setting down his tricorder. “What I thought. You have Whooping cough, Lieutenant Y/L/N. Must’ve picked it up in Yorktown. Nothin’ serious in an adult, but it is highly infectious, so I’m goin’ to have to sign you off duty for the next three weeks, and you’ll have to stay in your quarters as much as possible. Chances are you’ll keep coughin’ after that, but it won’t infect anyone else.” He paused, and looked at you to make sure you understood what he was saying. When you nodded your understanding, he gave you a small smile that sent a shiver running through your body. “I’m goin’ to give you some antibiotics to help reduce chance of infection, and some painkillers.” McCoy was already preparing the hypo as he spoke. “You won’t be able to leave your room to get food, so I’ll have a nurse bring some down along with following doses of your antibiotics.”

You groaned a little at the thought of being stuck in your room for the next three weeks, but you knew nothing could be done about it, so just nodded again. “Yes, sir.” You said, watching as McCoy finished preparing the hypo. You certainly didn’t like having them, but they didn’t bother you as much as they did other crew members. 

McCoy gave you another smile when he saw you weren’t going to complain about the hypo. “Now that’s a sight for sore eyes. I spend more time arguin’ over havin’ to give hypos, than actually givin’ them.” He chuckled, and good Lord, the sound reduced every bone in your body to mush. Swallowing, you smiled back at him. 

“Takes more than a little prick to bother me, sir.” You blushed immediately, because wow, you just attempted to flirt with the CMO, and hoped against hope that your face was still red from the bought of coughing or that McCoy didn’t notice. McCoy didn’t say anything, but you were aware that one of his eyebrows had raised and that his smile had widened. Groaning inwardly, you braced yourself for the hypo, flinching only a little as he pressed it into your skin. What you weren’t expecting was for him to rub the spot on your neck once he was done to soothe any soreness. M’Benga had never done that, neither had the Doctors in the Academy. Was this something McCoy did with everyone, or…or was he doing it just for you?

“When you get back to your quarters I want you to grab some water, then head straight to bed. You need lots of rest and fluids now. I’ll send a nurse by tonight with some provisions.” McCoy pulled you out of your thoughts, and you looked up at him. 

“Yes, sir.” You acknowledged, getting up from the biobed. “Thank you, Doctor.” You smiled at McCoy briefly, before turning and heading straight back to your quarters, completely unable to get the face of the drop dead gorgeous Doctor out of your mind. 

~

The day passed slowly. You had done as Doctor McCoy ordered, and gone straight to bed after grabbing a bottle of water and placing it nearby. You’d dozed for a while, never being able to go to sleep properly due to your coughing. At least the pain meds McCoy had given you stopped the aches in your throat and chest. It was something.  
When it finally became apparent that you weren’t going to doze anymore, you tried to read, but soon realised that your thoughts were continuously straying back to McCoy. You were sure something had passed between the two of you, that you’d shared a ‘moment’, but he hadn’t said anything and you were starting to wonder if you’d Imagined it all. Sighing, you curled onto your side, the position made you cough less, and allowed yourself to daydream a little, even though you knew you shouldn’t.

You imagined what his hands would feel like on the rest of your body. Under your clothes. They’d be talented hands, you knew that. They’d know what to do. Then you imagined his mouth. You had absolutely no evidence, but you knew he’d be a good kisser. A man like that had to be. You let your eyes close, allowing to yourself to get lost in your imagination.

You weren’t sure how long you’d stayed like that, but before you knew it you were alerted to the fact that someone was at your door. “Lieutenant Y/L/N? It’s Doctor McCoy.” His voice was slightly muffled through the door, but it still made you shiver. You unlocked the door, and sat up on your bed as McCoy entered, a frown on your features. 

“Is everything okay, sir?” You asked, concerned that your scans had shown up something more serious. McCoy had said earlier that he’d be sending nurses to your room.  
Seeming to sense your worry, McCoy quickly shook his head, and set the few items he’d been carrying down onto the table. “All fine.” He said with a smile. “Thought that it’d be better for me to come here myself. I’ve already been exposed to the infection.” You thought back to that morning when he’d sat with you through the fit. You’d tried your best to cover your mouth, but you knew you must have still coughed over McCoy more than you would have liked. You blushed. That’s just typical, you thought, only you could get the bloody CMO ill. But McCoy only laughed when he saw the blush on your cheeks, and guessed your thoughts again. “I got it when I was a kid. I’m not immune but my chances of gettin’ it or passin’ it on are a lot less. And if I do get it, it won’t be so bad. Another reason it’s best for me to visit you here.”

You nodded. It did make sense, though you got the feeling there was still something else. “Any other reason, sir? I always thought things came in threes.” It was a surprise even to you, to hear yourself asking the question. You really shouldn’t push your luck. However, after pausing for a brief moment as he collected his thoughts, McCoy then smiled.  
“I wanted to check up on you myself. Spend some time with you. If that’s alright….?” He trailed off, and you caught the glimpse of nerves in his eyes before it passed again. It made sense for him to be nervous, you figured. You could view it as him overstepping his mark and trying to potentially take advantage of you. You could easily get him in trouble. 

“I’d like that, Doctor.” You said with a smile, and you saw the relief on his features. 

“I’m off duty, you can call me Leonard.” You nodded again, the extra familiarity making everything seem less formal and awkward. 

“If I get to call you Leonard, then you get to call me Y/N.” You said with another smile, and McCoy…Leonard…nodded. 

“A pretty name to suit a pretty face.” He said.

Immediately you blushed again, causing Leonard to chuckle. “No need to be shy around me, darlin’.” His voice was warm and inviting, and you were sure you could listen to him read the phonebook without getting bored. “I’ve brought some food to see you through a few days, and some more antibiotics and painkillers to last til tomorrow. I’ll stop by again tomorrow night and give you the next dose.” As he spoke, Leonard moved around your small room, putting the things he’d brought away. It surprised you how comfortable he seemed in your space already, but you didn’t mind. It was better than him just standing there shuffling his feet uncomfortably. You hated that. 

“I’ll have something to look forward to then.” You said, already pleased that you’d be seeing more of him.

Leonard glanced over his shoulder at you, and smiled at your enthusiasm. “I was thinkin’, if it’s okay with you, darlin’, I could cook us some dinner too. The stuff I brought with me is just your basic food, but I could get hold of some things, and make you a nearly proper meal. Some good southern cookin’ makes everythin’ better.” Again, the brief nervousness passed over him, and you understood. It was still entirely possible for you to freak out and bring down a whole world of hurt on him. That was the farthest thing from your mind though, as you nodded eagerly. 

“I’d love that, L-“

You couldn’t finish your sentence as another wave of coughing hit you, and you doubled over yourself, the coughs harsh and violent on your body. Leonard was with you in a second, sitting next to you on the bed and rubbing your back. It was comforting having them there. His strong body against your own. “There we go, darlin’, that’s it. Deep a breath as you can. Good girl.” Leonard encouraged you softly for however long the fit lasted for, his voice gentle and soothing against the loud coughs and ‘whoop’ noises you made when you sucked in a breath. You supposed it made sense why it was called whooping cough.

When you finally managed to catch a break, you found yourself leaning into Leonard’s body, and by how relaxed he felt against you, he didn’t mind at all. One arm wrapped around you, while he brought the bottle of water to your lips with the other. You sipped quietly, catching your breath. “They’ll get easier, promise.” Leonard said, looking down at you. You just nodded, making no attempt to pull away from the warmth that had encircled you. You could stay like this forever. Leonard stroked your hair softly, seeming to be perfectly content with being like this too.

Eventually, the position the two of you were in grew to awkward and you were forced to pull away. “Thank you.” You said quietly, looking up at Leonard. 

“Pleasure is all mine, darlin’.” Came your reply, and you smiled. You could get used to being called that. “Stay there and I’ll fix you something to eat. You need to keep your nutrients up.” You sat back and watched as Leonard moved around your small kitchen, before bringing a plate over to you. He sat next to you, making sure you did actually eat, before retrieving a couple hypos from his kit. “Another dose of antibiotics, and some more painkillers. These are strong ones, so they’ll help you sleep.” Leonard explained as he gave the both to you quickly, before once again rubbing the spot to soothe it.

You felt the everything take effect almost immediately, and began to feel drowsy. Leonard smiled, and helped you lay down in your bed and pulled the covers over you. “Call me if you need anythin’. Whatever time it is.” He whispered into your ear, and you acknowledged sleepily. 

“I will…thank you, Lee.” You yawned, the abbreviation of his name slipping out of you. Your eyes were already closed, so you missed the warm smile Leonard gave you as he kissed your temple. 

“Anytime, Y/N. See you tomorrow, darlin’.” By time Leonard left your quarters, you were already sound asleep and dreaming of your handsome Doctor in blue.


End file.
